Professor Włodzimierz Lech Puchnowski

Professor Włodzimierz Lech Puchowski

Puchnowski Włodzimierz Lech was born on the 28th of February 1932 in Warszawa in the teachers' family. In 1938 he started playing the piano under his mother's direction; later he had continued it in the Conservatory of Music in Wilno since 1939. After the arrival to Białystok in 1945 he entered the high school and the sisters Frankiewiczs' Music Institute. Between 1946-1950 he studied the piano with Z. Mularczyk in Konstancin near Warszawa and then with the well known teacher of Warszawa schools of music, K. Fangor.
At that time he started to play accordion as an autodidact. He graduated from the high school in 1950 and entered the Primary School of Music No 1 in Warszawa where he attended J. Orzechowski's accordion class until 1954. Between 1954 and 1956 he continued his education in the Secondary School of Music No 1 in Warszawa on the general music faculty.
Between 1951-1955 he was a student of Warsaw University where he studied English philology. On the 27th of June 1955 he graduated with the MA degree. Between 1956-1959 he went through the musical studies in concert accordion, theory of music and conducting in Franz Liszt Musikhochschule in Weimar (Germany), and post-graduate training in the Institute of Music in Trossingen (Germany). In 1950 Wł. L. Puchnowski started his teaching activity the amateur movement. He taught accordion playing and was a conductor of different choirs.
Between 1954-1973 he worked as a teacher in primary and secondary schools of music in Warszawa. Since 1961 up till now he has been teaching in the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warszawa: first as an instructor on commissioned hours between 1961-1964; second as a lecturer between 1965-1972; then as an associate professor between 1972-1983; and at last as a full professor since 1983.
Wł. L. Puchnowski: educated 83 Masters of Art, prepared 54 prize winners of national and international competitions who received 78 prizes, conducted an intensive education of the teachers on 65 national and international master seminars and 155 conferences devoted to the methods of teaching. He educated also the academic staff conferring in Poland and abroad (Russia, White Russia, Germany): 27 dr degrees and 15 professor titles. He concerned, in particular, about talented young people, training them on 53 master courses in Poland, Austria, Denmark, Holland, former Yugoslavia, Norway, Germany, Sweden and also in academies of music in Berlin, Hannover, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Linz, Trossingen and others.
In the periods of his pedagogical careers, Wł. L. Puchnowski filled the chair of many responsible functions as: the head of the accordion department in the Central Pedagogical Institute for the Education in the Arts (1960-1965); the head of teachers' training department of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warszawa (1974-1981); the Vice President of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warszawa (1981-1984) and the head of the Interuniversitary Chair of Accordion at the same Academy (1979-2002 ).
His knowledge, professional experience and activity caused that he was elected to fill the chair of the important functions such as: an expert of the Minister of Culture and Art (since 1964); a member of the Council of Polish Music Industry (1965-1980); a member of the Bulletin Editorial Council of the Folk Music Institute (1970-1982); a member of the Senate of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music and its different committees (since 1979); the Vice President and the President (1985-1991) and since (1992-2002) a member of the National Council for University Level Education in the Arts; a member of the National Committee concerning teachers' education and post graduate training (1986-1990); a member of the National Teachers' Qualifying Committee in the Arts (1986-1998).
Wł. L. Puchnowski - the prizewinner of the two international competitions in Warszawa, the solo one in 1955 (the third prize) and the chamber one in Annemasse in France in 1972 (the first prize) - started his professional activity as a member of Young Scout's Orchestra. Since that time till 1989 he had been leading an intensive concert activity with his Accordion Quintet founded by himself in 1961. He gave concerts which were broadcast on the radio and Tv in Poland, Germany, France, Scandinavian countries and in Korea. He took part in 25 festivals of contemporary music e.g. in "Warsaw Autumn"; he gave concerts in philharmonic halls, schools and clubs, presenting accordion music all over Poland, in many European countries and in the Far East. He co-operated with All Polish Concert Agency, Polish Agency of Arts (PAGART) and music associations. His artistic achievements were recorded live on 4 analogue LP's 2 CD's and 1 cassette. Wl. L. Puchnowski's concert activity closes with the number of about 2000 concerts including 428 solo and 1572 chamber ones.
Wł. L. Puchnowski's activity as a scholar was not the work done by chance. This extremely well educated man, the master of humanistic sciences, the concert artist with a wide theoretical knowledge, decided to dedicate his research work to the following basic areas: the methods of teaching, the improvement of accordion playing, the history of accordion, its construction and sound structure.
During many years of his fruitful scientific and research work he wrote 91 items such as: music manuals, books, music arrangements, dissertations, and scientific informations; 43 articles in national and foreign magazines; 59 reviews and opinions on artistic and scientific works of other authors; 69 expert's reports and elaborations for the need of music industry; 22 prefaces to the books of other authors; 30 syllabi for music schools of the different grades; 36 reports delivered on 36 seminars, scientific sessions and symposiums, and supervising 63 master theses.

His most important publications are:
- An Outline of Accordion History in Poland, AMFC Warszawa, 1986;
- Polnischer Aufbruch in Ungewiesse, Neue Musikzeitung Munig, 1991;
- National and International Accordion Competitions Between 1955-1995, co-author A. Kuwaczka, AMFC Warszawa, 1955;
- Analysis of Professional and Educational Qualifications of Accordion Teachers in Poland, co-author K. Baran, AMFC Warszawa, 1996;
- The Catalogue of Polish Original Accordion Music, co-author Z. Koźlik, AMFC Warszawa, 1989;
- Standardization of the Accordion, AMFC Warszawa, 1996;
- The School of Bellowing and Accordion Articulation, PWM Kraków, I edition 1964, II edition 1980;
- Die Schule der Balgfürung und Tongestaltung auf dem Akkordeon, Wien, 1968; German version
- The Ways of Tone Shaping on the Accordion, MP No 83, COPSA Warszawa, 1965;
- Tongestaltung und Balgfürung auf dem Akkordeon, Volksmusiklehrerverlag, Trossingen, 1966; German version
- Fingerings for the Button Accordion, Fonola Warszawa, 1993.

Wł. L. Puchnowski's scientific activity defined the base and directions for accordion development and created theoretical assumptions for forming the concert accordion playing and elaborating contemporary methods of teaching as well as for basic changes for the future improvement in accordion manufacturing on an international scale. He had also an essential influence on profound structural changes in musical education in Poland in the area of faculties, syllabi, schedules, programmes of studies, students' affairs etc.
Wł. L. Puchnowski was also an outstanding leader of the music movement in the country as well as abroad. His erudition and fluency in a few languages, easiness in forming utterances, competence to lead the groups of people and conduct negotiations caused that he was appointed to fill the chair of many responsible functions such as: the Vice President and Propaganda Officer of Confederation International des Accordeonistes IMC/UNESCO (1963-1989), a member of The Executive Committee of International Accordionists' Society since 1991 up till now, the President of the Governing Board of the Polish Accordionists' Association since 1961 to the present day. Numerous organizations offered him their membership e.g. The International Council of Fine Arts Deans (USA) or The Kuratorium of International Competition in Markneukirchen-Klingenthal (Germany).
Wł. L. Puchnowski has been invited as: an adjudicator of 87 international competitions all over Europe and New Zealand, 27 National Accordion Competitions and as a delegate of 55 congresses of international organizations where he represented the interests of Polish national culture . For his service Wł. L. Puchnowski received numerous diplomas of acknowledgement, medals, rewards, awards, and honourable scientific degrees. Among many honours, let us mention the most important ones:
- 7 awards of the Minister of Culture - 1970, 1974, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1996 for peculiar achievements in his artistic and educational activity;
- 7 awards of the President of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music for remarkable achievements in 1972, 1975, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996;
- award the Meritorious Artist of Polish Culture - 1972;
- the Medal of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music - 1981;
awards such as:
- Meritorious for the Białystok-region - 1982,
- for the Tarnobrzeg province - 1985,
- for the city of Mlawa - 1991;
- the Merit Award of the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes IMC/UNESCO - 1971, 1986, 1989; - the Gold Reed and Medal of the Senate of Castelfidardo for his merits for the development and improvement of accordion in the world - 1988;
- Honorary Citizenship of the State of Texas, USA - 1988;
- Hugo Herrmann Medal, Germany - 1991;
- the Silver Plate of the Russian Academy of Music for his merits of improving the art of accordion, Moscow - 1995;
- honorary Cultural Doctorate in the Philosophy of Music of the World University Roundtable, Benson, Arizona, USA - 1988;
- The Gold Cross of Merit - 1973
- Knight Cross of Order of "Polonia Restituta" of Polish Government - 1983;
- Medal, The National Council of Education of the Polish Ministry of Education - 1985.

Wł. L. Puchnowski's activity is an evidence of uncommon individuality of a men who, having been convinced of the aims and the need of work for others, was able to devote his all active life to propagate the music culture in the wide sense of this word.

Based on: Wł. L. Puchnowski, The Creator of the Polish Accordion Movement, an Extensive Biography, AMFC Warszawa, 1997.

Compiled by: The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music